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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060835">Changing Course</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IowaGuy1979/pseuds/IowaGuy1979'>IowaGuy1979</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Rachel Amber never went to Arcadia Bay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:08:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IowaGuy1979/pseuds/IowaGuy1979</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"The evil in the world comes out of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence"</p><p>The Plague, by Albert Camus</p><p>For Rainboq, because their fics are amazing!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Changing Course</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq/gifts">Rainboq</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>October 11, 2013</p><p>It had been five years since the Caulfield family had moved to Seattle. Max had never really settled in. She had a few friends at school, who she talked with on the internet and between classes.</p><p>Vanessa Caulfield sipped her coffee, sitting at the kitchen table. It had been cruel to leave on the day of William’s funeral, but, Max had survived it.  True, Max and Chloe had grown up together.  But, as the Bible said, when you grow up, you put away childish things.</p><p>Vanessa’s head shot up from its relaxed position. That awful scream!   She realized it was coming from Max’s room.</p><p>The woman stood up tipping her chair over, she ran to Max’s room. Throwing open the door, she found her daughter staring at the screen of her laptop. </p><p>Vanessa had seen some footage the other day, on television. It had showed some people in the Middle East. The haunted eyes of those who had had their villages destroyed, the soul deep pain of losing their entire world.</p><p>That same look was on Max’s face.</p><p>“Maxine? What’s wrong?”</p><p>Max pointed a shaking hand at the screen.  OregonLive was opened in the browser.</p><p>“I..I was thinking, thinking about Chloe. I wondered if her Facebook page was still the same. This came up in the results.”</p><p> </p><p>Chloe Elizabeth Price</p><p>March 11,1994 – October 7,2013</p><p>Chloe Elizabeth Price passed away at the Arcadia Bay Medical Center, of injuries from a gun shot wound. Taken far too soon, she was 19 years old.</p><p>Born March 11, 1994 in Arcadia Bay, Oregon, she attended Arcadia Bay Elementary, then Arcadia Bay Middle schools.<br/>
Her flair for the creative earned her a scholarship to the Blackwell Academy.<br/>
She will be remembered for her cheerful attitude, her humor, and her artistic skills. She will be remembered, most of all, for her deep connection to, and fierce love for, those she cared about.<br/>
Per her wishes, her ashes will be scattered in the bay.</p><p>“She.. she’s gone! I’ll never see her again!”, Max said</p><p>She fixed her mother with a baleful glare. “And it’s your FAULT! If you hadn’t have made me move, then… then..”</p><p>“Maxine, honey, I.. I knew you grew up with her but, it was five years. People change. I’m sure Chloe moved on. I had thought you would, too.”</p><p>The words were out of Max’s mouth before she could really even think. “Would you move on if Dad died?”</p><p>“That’s not the same!  Your father and I love each other, we’re in love with each other.”</p><p>Max’s eyes grew wide. “Oh... oh, god. I...I love her! I love Chloe!”</p><p>“Max, it’s not the same. I’m sure Chloe loved you as well, but…”</p><p>The younger woman curled into the fetal position. “I loved her, and now she’ll never know!”, Brokenhearted sobbing echoed in the room.</p><p>After her cries subsided, she sat up, looking at her mother.</p><p>“You took me away from my Chloe, my Captain.” The blackest look Vanessa had ever seen glowered back at her. “And I will never, never, forgive you.”</p><p>“Maxine, don’t say that! I’m your mother. As much as its hurting you to lose Chloe, she was just a friend.”</p><p>“Chloe Price was not ‘just’ anything, Mother.” Max stood, and left the room.</p><p> </p><p>Max looked out over the Puget Sound. Chloe, her best friend, her Captain, was gone. What more they might have been was gone, as well.</p><p>A blue butterfly alighted on the bench, next to her. It seemed to glow, slightly.</p><p>As Max stared at it, she could almost hear Chloe’s voice. Laughing, being snarky, being so sweet.</p><p>As her index finger touched the animal, everything turned white.</p><p> </p><p>2008</p><p> </p><p>The whiteness faded into a sight she hadn’t seen in years. The Price home.</p><p>“I hope the flash didn’t scare you, Max. This is a keeper.”</p><p>‘William? What the fuck is going on?’, Max’s mind shouted.</p><p>The phone rang.</p><p>“Hello? Hey, honey.. What? Oh, I didn’t know you had to get groceries. Of course, I’ll come pick you up.”</p><p>Max shook her head, unable to believe her eyes. Was this a dream, or was she really back in 2008?</p><p>“A-ha! You can’t hide from me forever!”</p><p>Either way, she was seeing her best friend’s dad go off to his death. As he moved to the front door, Max raised her hand. But, before she could speak, there was a knock on the door. </p><p>“Mrs. Amundsen, what a surprise! Yes.. yes, I was just heading to the store. You’re headed that way, too? OK, let’s go.” The door slammed shut.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Maxaroni? You looked spooked as fuck.”</p><p>Max turned around and saw Chloe, with long strawberry hair and wearing an Arcadia Bay sweatshirt.</p><p>“Chloe!”, Max shouted, leaping onto her.</p><p>“Whoa there, freakazoid! What’s the matter?”</p><p>“Just glad to see you!”</p><p>Chloe threw her a look like Max was insane. “We see each other all the damn time, dude.”</p><p>Max shook her head, unable to say the truth.</p><p>A light went off in Max’s head.  Walking to the phone, she dialed her home number.</p><p>“Hi, Mom. I know you said we were moving really soon. I don’t want to leave Chloe, though!  I just have this feeling that something’s going to happen. Something awful!  What.. what if I stayed?”</p><p>“Maxine!”, came her mother’s sharp voice. “We are a family, and we will stay together! Being sentimental about a friend doesn’t change that fact!  Besides, you can still stay in contact. And, even if you don’t, there will be so many more opportunities in Seattle than in backwater Oregon.”</p><p>Max scowled “Chloe is my family, just as much as you are! I can’t leave her! I literally can not!”</p><p>“Well, you’ll just have to. This conversation is over.”</p><p>As Max slammed the phone down with an enraged shout, Chloe walked over. She lightly punched Max in the shoulder. “That’s for not telling me about moving.”</p><p>And this...this is for saying what you said to her.” And then, looking like she was making the biggest mistake of her life, Chloe kissed her.</p><p>Max pulled back, shocked. “Wh..what?”</p><p>“Shit, Max! I.. I didn’t mean.. I?”, Chloe sprang back, terrified.</p><p>Max shook her head, and realized that nothing in her entire life had felt as good, as right, as Chloe kissing her.</p><p>“I was just startled, that’s all. I..I love you, Chloe.” She stepped forward, kissing the taller girl.</p><p>As Chloe replied, “I love you too, Max.”, the room faded to white.</p><p> </p><p>Max started, eyes looking around frantically.  She was in some kind of dorm room. Pictures covered the wall next to the bed she lay on.  A table up against the wall, down past her feet, showed a laptop.  Next to the table, was a healthy looking plant.</p><p>A loud buzzing sound alerted her to a phone next to her. Glancing at the screen, she saw a face with blue hair, topped with a beanie.  CHLOE was under the picture. She swiped up, starting the call.</p><p>“C.. Chloe?”</p><p>“You got amnesia, Maxie? Who else would it be?”</p><p>“What...I?”</p><p>“Did I wake you up? I mean, I know I’m one to talk about sleeping in, but, it is 12:30 in the afternoon.”</p><p>“I just had a weird dream. About us as kids, and that day William died..”</p><p>“What? The old man’s as healthy as he’s always been. He’s been getting on my case about my grades. I told him ‘hey, I’d like to see you double major in Physics and Math’, but, you know dads.”</p><p>Max let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.  </p><p>“You need me to break you outta that prison, and put some awesome in your life? My last class for the day just got done, so I can slide over to your hall.”</p><p>Max blinked, and saw a ID card, laying on her chest.  It was a University Of Washington – Seattle card.</p><p>“Not too much trouble?”</p><p>“Nah, 5-10 minutes. See you soon.” The call ended.</p><p> </p><p>Max shook her head, wondering if this was still a dream. Images filtered into her head.</p><p>Mrs. Amundsen helping William and Joyce carry groceries into the Price kitchen.</p><p>Their first date. Oh shit, had Chloe looked so fucking beautiful in that dress shirt and those slacks. Just for their first date, just for her.</p><p>Chloe in her cap and gown, a Blackwell Graduate. William, Joyce and Max stood next to her, grinning.</p><p>Max’s acceptance letter. That had been one of the best days of her life, knowing she was going to be going to school with her best friend, the love of her life.</p><p>Making out, hidden between the stacks at the Odegaard Undergrad Library.</p><p> </p><p>A knock at her door roused her from her reverie. She opened it, a smiling Chloe leaning against the door jamb.</p><p>“Been waiting long, babe?”</p><p>“I’d wait even after all the stars in the cosmos died, my Captain.”</p><p>Chloe cleared her throat, a light pink appearing on her face.</p><p>“Enough mushy shit, Caulfield.  How’s about we go to that diner?  Nowhere near as good as Two Whales, but, nothing on Earth compares to it.”</p><p>“That’s something you have in common with it.”, Max smiled.</p><p>More pinkness. “Let’s get gone, Max.”</p><p>And, after the lightest of kisses, the two made their way out into the day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The idea of Vanessa intentionally cutting off contact popped into my head, probably from some other fics I've read.</p><p>I was originally going to title this "Adrift", and have it end with Chloe's death. But, decided not to be so gloom and doom.</p><p>I tagged this 'no powers' because Max isn't in charge of things, this time around.</p><p>Hope you liked this!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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